The present invention relates to a plug connector for individually contacting or simultaneously contacting devices provided with flat plugs, which devices have a plurality of contacts, especially control devices such as timers, as used in household appliances with a maximum number of poles of twelve contacts.
A lockable flat plug sleeve is, for example, known from European Patent 0 024 981. It is part of an electrical connection device in which a known flat plug in the form of a rectangular plate is inserted for electrical contacting into a flat plug sleeve and is releasably locked therein. However, it is disadvantageous that the electrical lead is connected with the flat plug sleeve by a crimp connection which thus is provided with a socket suitable for the crimping technique. Employing such a flat plug sleeve thus is impossible where wire harnesses or trees are to be used having electrical contacting elements embodied as insulation displacement contacts.
Electrical contacting elements according to the so-called insulation displacement technique are known from German Patent 39 29 928 for electrical cable plug connections. They are stamped from sheet metal and formed according to the desired shape. For the purpose of contacting, the electrical contacting element is provided with at least one forked spring which between its two legs defines an insertion slot whereby the edges of the two legs facing one another are sharp (i.e., they have a cutting edge). In order to contact the electrical cable, it is inserted into the insertion slot of the forked spring so that the cutting edges of the two forked spring legs cut into the cable insulation. Thereby they come into contact with the electrical lead in order to provide electrical contact. The two forked spring legs exert a clamping force onto the electrical lead so that it is safely held within the insertion slot. When using such a contacting element according to the insulation displacement technique, it is disadvantageous that the spring tongues, between which, for example, the contact pin of a plug of an electrical plug connection is inserted for electrical contacting, is not provided with a locking means. Thus, for securing the electrical connection housings are used which are provided with external locking means which disadvantageously require space and furthermore, due to the risk of breaking off these locking means, do not ensure safe locking.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention, to improve a plug connection of the aforementioned kind with which a secure space-saving locking is provided and which allows a partial furnishing as well as a mixed furnishing with insulation displacement contacts and crimp connectors so that all of the connection types which are conventionally used in the industry can be employed in a simple manner.